I brake for plants

I'm ankle-deep in coral bells, squinting at a plant tag, mentally weighing the price against how much I really want Heuchera 'Amethyst Myst'. Yes, it's one of my favorites, but here at The Flower Factory, 15 miles south of Madison, Wisconsin, I can choose from 66 other varieties.

It's a happy problem. For that kind of selection, I take at least one road trip every spring. It feeds a gardener's primal urge: Must hunt for plants.

Boring but necessary stuff -- like potting soil -- I can get from a blocky building with a parking lot the size of Nebraska. But for stuff that grows, give me a destination. I'm not alone: More gardeners are shopping at a local garden center than a mass merchant, according to a recent survey by the Garden Writers Association.

Pictured at left: Nancy Nedveck, co-owner of The Flower Factory, holds one of nearly 100 hardy geranium varieties they sell.

A lazy drive and a country-cute setting

Part of my fun is a lazy drive along a wooded country road where trees unfurl shimmering new leaves and I inhale the scent of freshly turned earth. My ideal garden center (sometimes called a nursery or farm) has a country-cute setting, display gardens and unusual plants. It's even better if there's a chicken scratching for grit, a friendly dog that comes over to sniff my feet and a style as charming as I'd like my own yard to have.

The mother lode in Wisconsin

To plan my trip, I dredge the Internet and mine suggestions from friends. This year, I unearth a mother lode in southern Wisconsin. I craft a driving loop between Madison and Milwaukee, with the idea of hitting as many places as I can in just two days.

To haul everything, I rent a small SUV. It'd be more fun with a girlfriend, but none is available, so I settle for books on CD and set out from my Des Moines home.

Garden treasures

One of my first stops is The Flower Factory near Stoughton. My fellow plant nerds rave about this farm, which has more than 4,000 varieties of hardy perennials -- one of the largest selections in the Midwest.

I park beside a 100-year-old red barn and gape at row after row of plastic-covered hoop houses packed with garden treasures. Luckily, there's a map. A scale-model train (left) rolls along a track near a weathered shed, and a sandbox awaits children.

Dragon's head and more

In the sales areas, I don't hold back. New to me: dragon's head (Dracocephalum grandiflorum). It grows in partial shade with intense blue flowers. The Flower Factory sells 10 types of dragon's head. Really, I'm restrained getting only one. The price for my signature plant, 'Rozanne' geranium (the Perennial Plant Association's 2008 plant of the year) is excellent: only $7.50 for a 4-inch pot. I've seen them sell for twice the price. I'd better get two.

I want more (that's me, pictured at left). I buy more -- oh, so much more -- but at some point, I stop. Must pace myself.

Peacocks at the farm

Irresistible flowers

It's drizzling, but I don't care. I pull a red Radio Flyer wagon to haul my 'Raspberry Ice' pulmonaria (deer don't like the fuzzy leaves) and a 'Scaredy Cat' plectranthus. A flat of hot-pink verbena (left) all but jumps into my arms.

Road trip, day two

I hit more garden centers before I call it a night. The next morning, I check the soil of each pot, watering lightly if one seems too dry. Got to keep my babies happy.

At this point, my loop gets a little jagged. North of Mukwonago, Yerke Frog Alley Greenhouses devotes an entire greenhouse to organic vegetables. I choose tomato plants and give the place mental points for its red barn. At the checkout, I smile when I overhear a customer tell her friend: "I don't smoke. I don't drink. So I buy plants."

A living postcard

I drive to garden centers in Caledonia and Racine, then move on toward Burlington. I thrill at the sight of puffy white clouds in clear blue skies and Holsteins grazing green grass. It's a living Wisconsin postcard.

By the end of the day, the SUV is full. My wallet is flat. I'm happy. It's time to head home, plant my goodies and plot the next trip